Could it be SPD?

I have had concerns about my now 2 year old for over a year. He was a little slow to start talking. He was using gibberish up until about 17 months old. When he finally did start using actually words it was like they all came at once.




Once he started eating solid foods he became a very picky eater. He will only eat 3 or 4 certain things - a particular kind of mac & cheese, bread - in almost any form including pancakes and cinnamon rolls, fries, apples and bananas. Every once in a while he will eat corn. One minute he likes something the next he doesn't. He will not try new food. His food has to be cold - if it's even a little warm he spits it out and says "hot" or "uk" (yuk). He will not eat meat at all.

He is very sensitive to loud noises.. hair dryer, vacuum, mixer, things like that. If I try to use him when he's awake he freaks out. Cries until I turn it off.

He has always had issues with sleeping. It takes forever to get him to sleep and it's hard for him to stay asleep. he has never had a normal sleep schedule. He'll go to bed at 10pm one night then 6am the next.

He to this day hates swings. He use to not like any playground equipment but now he loves slides. He also is very rough. He always


wants to rough house with me. He craves being tickled and getting bear hugs. He falls down on purpose all the time. I'm not sure if he's doing that for attention or what. He's even done it in public in a store. Then he'll roll around saying "falled. Help" and kicking his arms and legs in the air.

He is almost constantly chasing the dog, trying to ride him, pulling his hair and pressing on him really hard.

He gets upset super easy and has a hard time calming down.

Sometimes he seems to see things that just aren't there - he'll look up in the air and start saying various letters or numbers. or just look up in the air and laugh and say "that's funny"

He does seem to be pretty advanced in some areas though. He is super smart... can already count to 20, knows all his colors, shapes, animals and noises, etc. I have read that sometimes children with spd are above average intelligence for their age.

All these things I have talked to about with his doctor and friends and family. They all tell me this is just normal for his age and he will grow out of all of it.

He seems to have different symptoms from different groups on the checklist. I am just not sure what to do. I've heard spd needs to be discovered early but at age 2 how do I know if it's "normal" behavior or not?

Comments for Could it be SPD?

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Feb 11, 2015
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Might be Autism
by: Anonymous

Hello,

I know this post is real old by son is 3 and every single one of those symptoms you named, my son has and he has been diagnosed with Autism but the high functional form. He has SPD which is a symptom of Autism. I don't know if you seeked help but you should.

Karol

Oct 27, 2011
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Birth - 3 Lifesaver!
by: Emily

My son is somewhat the opposite of yours in that he craves high impact and needs to touch and feel everything! We had him evaluated by birth - 3 and he now has a weekly visit with his OT. The assessment is fairly simple, an OT comes in and spends some time with your child and looks for different signs, much like the checklist on this site, they also have you fill out a questionnaire and it has you rate on a scale if these behaviors are something he does frequently, sometimes, seldom, or never. You are your sons best advocate, so if you don't feel that he and you are getting the best help possible don't give up. Good luck!

Oct 16, 2011
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seek professional help
by: Anonymous

i think you are right in the idea that something is a little different. that's how i felt about my son from a very young age. and mother's intuition/gut is usually right. :) i would suggest finding an occupational therapist in your area if at all possible and go have a basic evaluation done. this way you can have someone in the field help you sort out what is going on. spd can be part of autism, but it isn't always. good luck.

Oct 16, 2011
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response
by: Anonymous

I haven't really read much about autism and aspergers. I have read a little because at first I was kind of thinking aspergers myself. I have read some of "the out of sync child". I kinda thought SPD was part of the autism spectrum. I am still trying to figure it all out I guess. He is my only child so I don't really have much to compare his behavior to. He just seems to have SO much energy I guess is how to put it. He gets in these moods where he just can't seem to move enough. He grinds his teeth and gets very excited and kind of violent. He pulls my hair, squeezes my cheeks, pinch my lips - it feels like he's trying to rip my face off. If he doesn't do that he grinds his teeth, clenches his fists, and kind of bends over pushing his clenched fists into his belly.

He never listens to me. It's very hard to get him to stop doing anything. He gets very upset but is usually easily calmed down by tickles.

He still wakes up multiple times a night and is not able to get himself back to sleep.

Seems pretty obvious to me something is a little off.

I just haven't found anyone to help me. I just keep hearing it's normal for his age. Or that he's just spoiled.


Oct 13, 2011
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autism spectrum?
by: Anonymous

have you done much reading about autism spectrum disorders and aspergers syndrome? i'm not saying your son is autistic, but some of the things you have mentioned in this post fit that description.

Oct 13, 2011
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not giving up
by: Anonymous

Thanks so much. I actually did have our local early childhood intervention come talk to me about a year ago. They told me then that he had to be at least 6 months behind in development in at least one area. He is not behind in any areas of development... he is advanced in most areas. So at this point I am kind of at a loss. I am not giving up though because I want to make sure if he does need some help he gets it.

Oct 10, 2011
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Re: SPD
by: Anonymous

this post sounds just like my now, 6 year old son. everything from the noise sensitivities to the picky eating and texture issues to the lousy sleeping and distress by changes in routine, etc. he was a very difficult baby & toddler. and when i brought it up with my pediatrician or other family members, they just told me he'd outgrow it and that a lot of it was normal.

well, that didn't satisfy me, i'd done a lot of tending children growing up and i knew my son was wired differently. he was bright, verbal, observant, etc and so i didn't worry so much about that as i did, the other things that seemed to hold him back and create major tantrums for him because they didn't meet his expectations.

i joined a few online sites and started talking with other moms and reading to educate myself about possible issues and that is when i felt strongly like i needed to get my son and myself some help in how to deal with things that, i felt, were impeding his progress and tripping him up in his environment. we both needed more tools.

i did this checklist from the out of sync child book and my son had many from many different areas, which is not uncommon. i then sought out a local facility to have an assessment done. and for us, it's mild spd. we have benefited greatly from regular ot visits over the last 3 years and we still go for 'tune ups'. we have been able to implement ideas at home and school they have helped tremendously. we also did some different types of play, music, social and food therapy. didn't even know food therapy existed!

my son is now in first grade and i shudder to think of how different it would be for him if i had not gotten him some help and addressed the concerns and helped him to learn and implement tools that are helping him to be happier, less anxious, more of a problem solver and able to enjoy life more than before.

you are your son's mother for a reason. he's lucky to have you tuned in. many are not or they don't want to see it or are fearful of 'labels'. my opinion, labels don't matter. they are not an indication of anything. what matters is getting children the help they need. so if you are not satisfied with where your son is at and you suspect some neurological issues, pursue it until you are satisfied. :) good luck.

Oct 10, 2011
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My humble advice
by: Anonymous

It could be SPD. Assuming that you can only have some of the problems checklist, and not all. If I give you my humble advice, look for other answers in order to help your child.greeting.

Oct 10, 2011
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SPD
by: Anonymous

The way that I did it was pretty easy. I don't know what state you are in, but most states now offer a birth to 3 or a birth to 5 program. Contact them and ask them to come and test your child. It is really the most painless testing we ever had to go through. You can also go to Autism Speaks. They have a list of resources for every state, including phone numbers. Good Luck & I pray that you are able toget him tested.

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